Russell Senate Office Building: A Complement to the Capitol

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we admire a beaux arts building used by U.S. Senators and staff.

The classical architectural features that give many Washington structures their dignified presence are on display at the Russell Senate Office Building. Majestic columns, arched windows, pediments, corbels, keystones, and dentils are exhibited in marble and granite on the building’s exterior. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

When the White House and the Capitol were built in the late 1700s, they solidified Washington as the country’s anchor. What better architectural styles to emulate than those of ancient Rome and Greece? Consequently, classical architectural features predominate in the city’s 18th- to early 20th-century structures.

However, some of the “youngest” designed and constructed D.C. buildings (built from the late 1800s to early 1900s) also emphasize Renaissance and baroque characteristics to achieve what is known as beaux arts style. The École des Beaux-Arts in Paris taught and promoted this design to noteworthy gilded age architects such as Richard Morris Hunt and John Carrère.